Vibratory electric safety razor



Nov. 14, 1961 J. J. SHEA, JR 3,008,232

VIBRATORY ELECTRIC SAFETY RAZOR Filed July 17, 1959 AX Z If 8 ll 45 52 66 00:: I l 20 J6 l 4 g /a ii 28 g I 22 30 40+ 24 34 i 2 L E 32 g E INVENTOR ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,008,232 VIBRATORY ELECTRIC SAFETY RAZOR John J. Shea, In, 1018 Madison Ave., Memphis, Tenn. Filed July 17, 1959, Ser. No. 827,851 1 Claim. (Cl. 3045) This invention relates to electric safety razors and, more particularly, to a vibrating razor with a straight line hoeing action.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a vibrating electric safety razor in which the razor head reciprocates along a straight line in the direction of the handle axis, and in which the cutting edge of the blade is disposed at an angle of 45 with respect to the direction of vibrating motion of the head. Heretofore, in the design of vibrating safety razors, comparatively elaborate mechanism have been devised to achieve an oscillating or reciprocating motion lengthwise of the blade edge. In order to avoid the danger of cutting the skin of the user, and to obtain a clean cutting chopping motion through the whiskers, it is intended now to provide a vibrating razor wherein the razor head is supported on a lengthwise reciprocating rod, and with the blade disposed to provide a vibratory hoeing action.

Other objects are the provisions of a simple structure, easy and inexpensive to manufacture and assemble, and having only one major moving part.

These and other objects will be apparent from the following specification and drawing, in which the sole figure is a broken away sectional view.

Referring now to the drawing in which like reference numerals denote similar elements, the vibrating electric razor denoted generally by the reference numeral 2 has a hollow tubular handle 4 formed of Bakelite or the like insulating plastic, and the safety razor head 6 is of conventional design except for the angle of the blade 66 described hereinbelow. For purposes of simplifying the disclosure, conventional details, such as the blade guard, and the mechanism whereby the razor head may be taken apart to replace the blade have not been illustrated, it being understood that these details are well known in the art, and may be selected at will so long as the angle between the blade, as measured in the direction from its rear edge towards its cutting edge, is substantially 45 from the direction of reciprocation of its shaft 8.

Blade shaft 8, formed of suitable ferrous metal, is, in effect, the armature for a pair of D.C, solenoids 10 and 12, respectively, which are energized from a suitable source of alternating current such as the two-wire conductor cord 14. One of the wires 16 from cord 14 is connected to a switch 18 of conventional design suitably mounted in handle 4. From switch 18, one lead 20 is connected to one end of solenoid 10. Another lead 22 from switch 18 is connected through a rectifier 24 to one end .of solenoid 12. The other conductor 26 from cord 14 is connected to the lower end of solenoid 10 through a rectifier 30. The lower end of solenoid 12 is connected to conductor 26 through a lead 32, as at 34. Thus, when switch 18 is closed, solenoids 10 and 12 are alternately energized by the opposite phases of alternating current.

Each of the solenoids includes a winding 36 and a hollow core 38, the hollow cores of the solenoids constituting cylindrical guideways through which shank 8 slidably extends. Solenoids 10 and 12 are held apart by a hollow spacer 40 and the lower end of solenoid 12 is engaged in a shallow socket 41 formed in the lower end of handle 4. Suitable passages 42 and 44 are provided through the lower end of the handle for conductors 16 and 26.

The upper end of handle 4 is provided with a closure "ice 48 threadedly engaged as at 50 in the upper end of the handle. The shallow socket 52 on the inner side of closure 48 engages around the upper end of solenoid 10, it being apparent that the solenoids 10 and 12 are thus firmly held in alignment within handle 4. Closure 48 is formed with a cylindrical bore 54 through which shaft 8 reciprocates, the side of the bore being suitably milled or otherwise shaped to provide a keyway 56 in which a ball 58 engages. An opposite keyway 60 in shaft 8, in which ball 58 also engages, serves to prevent rotation of shaft 8 with respect to handle 4 while permitting limited relative actual movement therebetween. A cap 62 threaded as at 64 to the upper end of closure 48 holds the parts together and provides an end stop for ball 58, it being apparent that the upper and lower ends of keyway 60 in shaft 8, and the lower end of keyway 60 in shaft 8, and the lower end of keyway 56 also constitute end stops, and that the limits of axial movement of shank 8 may be predetermined by forming keyways 56 and 6-0 of appropriate length.

While the blade 66 in razor head 6 may be slightly arched or flexed, in accordance with standard blade mounting practices, it will be apparent that the angle of attack of the blade is substantially 45 with respect to the axis AX along which the razor head 4 reciprocates. In operation, when switch 18 is closed so as to energize solenoids 10 and 12 alternately with direct current, shaft 8 reciprocates along a straight line in the directions AX. The windings of solenoids 10 and 12 and the polarities of rectifiers 24 and 30 are such that one solenoid, when energized, moves shaft 8 outwardly with respect to handle 4, and the other solenoid, when energized during the alternate half-cycle of alternating current, moves shaft 8 inwardly. The straight line hoeing motions which blade 66 thus undergoes cause the blade to chop through the whiskers 'with very rapid reciprocating strokes. The vibratory blade motions are only small fractions of an inch, but nevertheless enough, when the user manipulates the razor over his face with normal shaving strokes, as he would an ordinary safety razor, to chop through the whiskers without gashing the users epidermis.

The invention is not limited to the details illustrated and described hereinbefore, but is intended to cover all substitutions, modifications and equivalents within the scope of the following claim.

I claim:

A safety razor comprising a handle, a shaft having an elongate straight portion, guide means in said handle slidably supporting the straight portion of the shaft for reciprocatory movement lengthwise of the straight portion of the shaft, anti-rotation means engaging between said handle and shaft for preventing rotative movement of the shaft with respect to the handle, means in said handle for vibrating the shaft with rapid reciprocatory movements lengthwise of the straight portion of the shaft, said antirotation means including means for restricting said reciprocatory movements to predetermined limits, said shaft having a free end portion projecting beyond one end of said handle, a razor head, means rigidly mounting said head on the free end of said shaft for movement therewith, said head including clamping surface means for rigidly supporting for movement with the head a razor blade having a fiat body with a cutting edge along one side thereof, said clamping surface means being disposed at 45 with respect to the straight portion of said shaft and providing a support for the blade whereby the cutting edge thereof is directed generally towards the handle and off to one side thereof.

(References on following page) Referencs Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS ORourke Dec. 27, 1898 Joice Sept. 29, 1908 5 Tuttle Sept, 11, 1917 Harshberger Oct. 25, 1921 Lietz Oct. 14, 1924 Elzinga et a1. May 27, 1930 Shaler Sept. 24, 1935 Caporale Jan. 5, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTS France Sept. 25, 1933 

